


The Assistant

by yoonseoksofty (AquamarineShadows)



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Teaching assistant Youngjae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 13:46:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12459039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AquamarineShadows/pseuds/yoonseoksofty
Summary: Are you going to the cute TA’s office hours because you’re failing zoology, or are you failing zoology because you’re too distracted from going to see the cute TA? Originally posted on tumblr for Youngjae's birthday.





	The Assistant

**Author's Note:**

> After having this up on tumblr for like... over a month now, I remembered to post it to AO3. I had this idea several months ago and decided to write it for sunshine's birthday ♥ Featuring Chubbs the Iguana, the mascot for the biology department at my alma mater who frequently roams the hallways, as he does here. lol  
> Have a nice visual for this oneshot:  
>   
> Photo cr. [bona5010](https://twitter.com/bona5010)

_“All available graduate assistants: please report to the second floor immediately.”_

The intercom dinged as the department chair hung up the phone, ending his announcement. You turned to your friend, Sooyoung, with a smirk and quirked an eyebrow.

“Chubbs escaped again, eh?” she said. You folded over in laughter as seven different research and teaching assistants bolted out of their offices and laboratories, each one quickly making their way to the stairwell at the end of the hallway.

“I thought the zoology club was going to build a bigger cage for him,” you said. “One with a working lock.”

You fought the urge to sneak upstairs to watch the drama unfold as Chubbs the Iguana had escaped from his cage for the fourth time this week.

“You going to watch?” Sooyoung asked, knowing how much you loved to observe the chaos among the department staff as the nineteen-pound lizard marched through the hallway like he owned the place, new students ducking out of his way while the juniors and seniors watched intently.

“No, I’ve got to go to the third floor,” you sulked.

“Office hours? Again?” she said.

You nodded and pointed your feet in the opposite direction to head toward the stairs. “I’ll see you after theatre lecture, Sooyoung,” you said as you walked away. Sooyoung nodded and waved, then turned around to take the opposite stairwell to spectate the show on the second floor.

The third floor of Spellman Hall is perhaps the most relaxing place to be, for a life science building. Some of the laboratory doors were open, and you could hear music resonating through the empty halls. You could distinguish the reggae above the rest as it echoed from the lab belonging to Dr. Jacques. You walked quickly, wanting to get away from any reminders of your nightmare of a professor.

At the opposite end of the hallway, you navigated around several twists and turns to make your way to the graduate assistant offices, and then stopped in front of the door labeled “Choi Youngjae.”

“Y/N, are you sure you’re going to your TA’s office hours because you’re failing zoology, or are you failing zoology because you keep going to your cute TA’s office hours? Which is it? The chicken or the egg?” You remember Sooyoung badgering you one afternoon before class, to which you promptly replied with “the egg” because if there’s one thing you’ve learned in that godforsaken zoology course, it’s that the egg came before the chicken.

Softly, you rapped on the door underneath his nameplate.

“Come in!” he said. Without even seeing his face first, you knew he had that big ol’ grin plastered on his face by the tone of his voice.

You pushed open the door and poked your head through. “Hey, it’s me. Got a minute?” you asked, breathless from the mere sound his voice and his smile.

“Y/N! My favorite student,” he laughed. “What’s up?”

“I have some questions about our last exam,” you said sheepishly. “I don’t understand what I’ve done wrong.”

You pulled out your exam - marked with a big fat “F” - and laid it on his desk to examine. He pushed his thick-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose and read for several minutes, flipping through the pages and making notes on some sticky notes. Your eyes scanned the wooden bookshelf behind him as you anxiously waited, making a note of the many pictures of a small, white Maltese dog and the stacks of textbooks he’d collected over his years as both an undergraduate and graduate student.

When he finished, he rolled his office chair to the other side of the desk, next to you with his left arm touching yours. “This problem right here - this is where you went wrong,” he said. “This is a nine-part question, so you need to have the first answer correct to figure out the rest.” His breath smelled like freshly baked sugar cookies - intoxicatingly sweet and tempting to just lean over and-

Your fantasies were dreadfully interrupted when a picture of Dr. Jacques’ face flashed through your mind, with his green and yellow John Deer hat and the permanent scowl embedded in his features. You could even hear his gruff voice as you distinctly remembered his words from the first day of class. “It’s ‘Jakes,’ not 'Zhock,’ if you’ll kindly learn to pronounce my name right. I’m not a famous French explorer.”

Youngjae peered closely into your petrified face and waved a hand in front of your eyes. “Y/N? Hello?”

“Right! Yes. Sorry,” you said and perked up in your seat, relieved the war flashbacks had ended but also embarrassed that you likely appeared to be completely uninterested in his explanations.

He frowned and pushed his glasses back up again, then took a red pen to your exam. “It’ll be easier for you to take the next exam if you can keep the order of your classification hierarchies straight.”

“Yes, I’ve been having a lot of trouble remembering how that goes,” you admitted.

He was silent as he wrote the letters K, P, C, O, F, G,  and S in a straight, vertical line on the side of the page. You watched him curiously out of the corner of your eyes as you took a sip out of the bottle of cola from your backpack as he filled in words next to each letter:

> “King Phillip Cries Out For Great Sex”

The carbonation of the soft drink burned the back of your nasal passage as you choked and nearly sprayed soda through your nose. With great restraint, you were able to manage your coughing and took a few more sips to clear your throat. Thankfully, Youngjae was too busy writing the real meanings next to each word off to the side to notice.

“It’s easier to remember the order when you use a mnemonic,” he said, then finally looked up at you to make sure you understood. A smile instantly spread across his features, and he doubled over, clutching his stomach in a fit of laughter.

“Your face,” he breathed between giggles, “it’s so red.”

You cursed your luck and desperately wished you wore an oversized sweatshirt to the office that day, to bury your nose into the soft fabric - anything to get the attention away from your face. “It’s not my fault you give your students perverted mnemonics,” you murmured.

He chuckled. “That is the one I use because most people seem to remember it the easiest,” he said and leaned back in his chair. “Hey, at least there’s no way you can forget that now, is there?”

A fair point.

“Yeah, thanks,” you said with your chin tucked down and pulled your exam back from him. He rolled back to the other side of the desk as you shoved the packet of papers back in your bag and hauled the heavy pack over your shoulders. For a minute he clicked through the screen of his MacBook Pro, so you said your goodbyes and set out to get lunch before your last class, but by the time you rounded the corner, Youngjae called after you.

“Y/N!” He hurried out of his small office to catch up with you, a yellow flyer in hand.

“Yes?”

“The zoology club is planning a trip to the zoo for an end-of-the-semester celebration. We’re trying to get the university to pay for it as a school-funded activity, but we need at least one more person to justify asking for the reimbursement,” he said, holding out the flyer to you. “Would you like to go?”

Without skipping a beat or even a second thought, you enthusiastically nodded and took the sheet of paper from him. “Yes!”

He exhaled as if he’d been holding his breath, then rested his palms on his knees. “Thank goodness. They’ll be so happy to go,” he said. “Thanks, Y/N.”

“No, thank you,” you said. You checked your watch and panicked as you realized you were almost late for your next class. “Bye, Youngjae!” you scurried away, faintly waving to him.

He stared blankly at you as you ran away and managed to raise a hand to wave back weakly. “Bye!”

* * *

Lions, tigers, and bears -  _oh my._

The two youngest members of the zoology club led the group as you walked the length of the park as a group, occasionally stopping to take pictures of every exhibit and to upload videos of cute baby animals to Instagram. Yugyeom dragged Bambam by the wrist, then suddenly stopped when he noticed the giant vivarium in the center of the park. He pointed toward the lit sign that read “Monkey House,” and suddenly exclaimed, “We have to go!”

Poor Bambam had no warning before his friend broke into a run with his hand still tightly gripping his wrist, dragging him along for a brisk jog up the steep hill leading to the vivarium. Meanwhile, Jaebum, Mark, Jackson, and Jinyoung strolled along casually behind them. You laughed at the energetic kid and his enthusiasm, wishing that you could borrow some of that energy for yourself.

The hot sun bore down on you, making you regret your choice in long-sleeved shirts as you roasted like a chicken in the oven on Christmas day. Youngjae walked on beside you without saying much, but he seemed to be completely unaffected by the giant heat lamp in the sky.

This is what happens when the sun is outshined by star brighter than itself.

“Are you okay? You look like you could use a break,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

You didn’t want to complain before, but since he was offering, you admitted to it.

“Actually, I’m feeling kind of sick,” you said, rubbing your forehead. Youngjae pulled you to the side by your upper arm, and you stumbled, feeling an onset of nausea and the world spin around you. He sat you on a nearby bench in the shade and bent down to your eye level.

“Do you need some food? Anything to drink?” he frowned.

“Too warm,” you said, not sure if you were referring to the sun or his hand resting on yours.

“I’ll get you something to drink. Just wait here,” he said, jumping up from the ground and running off to the nearest vending machine. He returned a few moments later a can of lemonade and cracked it open.

“I’ve heard this brand was pretty good, so I thought you might like it,” he said, holding the can out to you. You welcomed the sour aftertaste of the drink and puckered your lips after the first sip.

He sat next to you on the bench and hunched over, folding his hands in his lap. “We can sit here as long as you like. Don’t worry about the others - they can handle themselves.”

You tipped your head back to chug more of the sweet drink, muttering a small “mhm” with a mouthful before you swallowed. “Is there anything you want to see today? You’ve been following around the other members until now.”

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “Actually, I’ve always wanted to visit the aquarium, but I’ve never had the chance,” he said.

“Well, why don’t we visit it today? I don’t mind walking around a building with air conditioning,” you said after finishing your drink and tossing the can in the recycling bin next to you. You stood and stretched your arms and legs. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

A grin spread across his face, clearly excited to visit the aquarium. “No problem.”

The cold rush of air at the entrance of the aquarium building was a welcome reprieve from the humidity of the late spring day. Aside from the white and gray paint on the walls, the entire building glowed with a faint blue tint from the light emanating from the tanks.

Youngjae wandered through the maze of hallways and dead ends with his hand on the small of your back, watching the moving marine life with fascination and wonder. His favorite displays were the brilliantly colored saltwater tanks with their colorful foliage and bright, exotic fish. Your personal favorite was the manatee tunnel. Aquamarine hues of light surrounded you as you walked through the tunnel surrounded by glass and water on all sides, and you watched intently, straining your neck to follow the movement of the majestic sea cows. A small calf swam up to the tunnel window, nudging the glass. You could faintly hear a squeak from the other side of the glass display.

You tapped Youngjae’s shoulder and pointed to the calf. “Look, Youngjae!”

“Aww, hey little guy! Where’s your mother?” he spoke sweetly to the marine mammal. Just then a larger cow swam up to the window and cried out to the baby. “Ah, there she is.”

The tunnel ran the length of the entire south wing of the building, so by the time you arrived on the other side, you saw the setting sun through the small windows of the exit doors. “We should go,” you said.

“Yeah,” he said calmly, looking back at the tunnel and some of the displays you saw earlier. “Thanks for coming.”

When you opened the doors again, you were struck by the warm air, making you remember how nice you’d had it inside the aquarium. You scanned the area in front of you from the top of the stairs before you started your descent, hoping to find some of the other members as the park would close soon. Before you knew it, they were calling out to you from afar.

“Y/N!” Yugyeom called out as he sprinted over to you. “We finally found you! Where did Youngjae go?” He rested his palms on his knees, panting when he finally caught up to you.

You hadn’t realized he’d slipped away so quickly until Yugyeom pointed it out. You shrugged. “Not sure. He was just here a minute ago.”

“Hopefully he comes back soon. JB is getting cranky, and he’s still our driver,” Bambam said, casually walking up behind the youngest member. “We need to go home.”

_Attention, Seoul Grand Park Zoo will be closing in 15 minutes. Please note locker rentals and the park gift shops will be closing at this time,_ a voice announced over the park intercom system.

You whined, disappointed that the shops were closing so soon as you wanted a souvenir for yourself. “That’s a shame. I wanted to check out the gift shop,” you said with a sigh. “There’s always next time, I guess. Let’s go find Youngjae.”

“I’m right here,” a familiar honeyed yet deep voice spoke from behind you. You jumped when a soft object poked and tickled your back, and you looked over your shoulder at Youngjae who held out a small stuffed otter in his outstretched hand.

You couldn’t contain the squeal that escaped your lips. “Oh my god - it’s so  _cute_!”

“You said otters were your favorite, right?” he said. Your face flushed - you couldn’t believe he remembered something so small that you had only off-handedly mentioned once in his office.

You nodded and hesitantly took the plushie from his hands. “Yes, thank you. You didn’t have to-”

“I wanted to,” he said, flashing the most charming smile your way. The two of you were caught up in your world until Jaebum, who’d snuck up behind the younger members, cleared his throat loudly.

“Let’s get this show on the road, kids,” he said.

Youngjae looked at you fondly and placed his hand on the middle of your back to usher you forward. “Ready?”

“Mhm.”

–

  
The members of the zoology club crashed for the majority of the car ride back. Their content, sleeping faces brought warmth to your heart and made you giggle as both Yugyeom and Bambam leaned on each other as they slept, mouths hanging wide open. Yugyeom stirred and wiped a trail of drool from his face before going back to sleep, resting his head against the window this time. You envied them. As tired as you were, there was no way you could sleep when you sat in the back of the university van with your entire right side up against Youngjae’s left. The two of you talked in depth about the biology department, his assistantship, and your upcoming final exam in two weeks’ time.

“Sorry I can’t be of much help. Dr. Jacques won’t even tell me what he’s putting in the final,” he said, the corners of his mouth turning downward. “If it were up to me, I’d give you a good score, but I don’t have a say in the matter. I can only grade your lab reports.”

You groaned. “Thanks for trying anyway.”

He patted your thigh and placed his hand on your knee, making you painfully aware of the warmth of his hand. You wished you could see his face in the darkness.

“Soon it will all be over. I can’t wait, to be honest.”

“You must be pretty happy to get rid of us undergraduates, right?” you laughed nervously and gave him a tender smile.

“No, no, it’s not that,” he waved off. “As much as I am looking forward to my break, I enjoy the time I spend with my students.” The sincerity of his smile pierced your heart like a ray of sunshine peeking through a clearing in the trees on a bright, sunny day. You fought the urge to squeal over the brightness reflected in his smile.

“What is it, then?” you asked.

A small hiccup of surprise escaped your lips, and your heart fluttered when Youngjae leaned in and cupped your ear with his hand, his breath tickling your ear and the back of your neck. His next few words left you speechless but in a good way.

He pulled away and searched your face for a reaction - preferably a positive one, but he supposed no reaction could also be considered a positive response. When he realized your struggle to form a coherent response, he reached into the front pocket of his backpack and pulled out a party-size Snicker’s bar and a sharpie. After writing a quick note, he carefully and subtly tucked it into the palm of your hand.

Your moment was interrupted when the street lights leading up to your driveway blinded you, and Jaebum spoke up from the front of the van.

“Do you want me to drive you to your front door, Y/N?” he said.

“No, you can just drop me off here. You won’t be able to get through the gate without my key card,” you said and gathered up your purse and your souvenir otter from Youngjae. Jaebum pulled up as far as he could and put the car in park to let you out.

“Thanks for the day out,” you said.

Youngjae squeezed your shoulder. “See you in class, Y/N.” He waved, and you ducked your head down once more to wave back before slamming the car door shut. You hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave the boys because that meant the day was over and you’d be alone again. Your hesitation disappeared when Jaebum finally drove away.

Absent-mindedly fiddling with the wrapper of the candy bar in your hand, you took a shortcut across the lawn and through the garden back to your building. Your stomach growled, and suddenly you were thankful for the candy. It had been several hours since you last ate, after all. Just as you were about to tear into the wrapper, you noticed the note on the underside of the flap and held it close to your face to make out the words in the dark.

> Call me after finals week. (XXX)-XXX-XXXX - Youngjae :)

Never have you looked forward to finals week, until now.

_Youngjae leaned over to cup your ear, and his warm breath tickled your neck. His lips accidentally brushed your ear, earning another muffled squeak from you, and you sensed the smirk on his face, even in the dark. Your heart raced in your chest as he spoke._

_“It’s because I can’t date my students.”_

 


End file.
